Elastic bearing for centrifugal machines.



G. F. FOWLBR. ELASTIG BEARING FOB. GENTRIFUGAL MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED MARA, 1911.

Patented Feb. 2, 1915.

Jow J4 ,/Zg Z401 I 'lul 'ran STATES Pn'rniv'r orme.4

Gon-DON F. FOWLER, crean einen ILLINOIS, AssIGNoIt To sanas, RonBUcK a COMPANY, orcnroneo, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION or New Yonx.

ELASTIC BEARING FOR CENTRIFUGA'L MACHINES.

Specification of Letters latent.

ratentedreb. a, i915..

Application filed March 4, 1911, Serial No. 612,173.

To aZZ whom' it may concern:

Be' it known that I, GORDON' F. FowLER, a. citizen ofthe Unitedv States, residing at Gah Park, in the county of Cook and State ofV Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Elastic Bearings for. Centrifugal Machines, of4v which the following" is a full, clear, and exact speci-fication.

rlhe inventionv relates to bearings or supportsk for rotatably supporting the rapidly rotating bowls: of centrifugal machines', and is particularly adapted for what is: known as the upper spindlel bearingA for the bowl spindles of centrifugal cream separators which are usually journaled for rotation on a vertical axis in the frame of thev machine.

The primary object of the invention is to produce a bearing of the described character which will be simple and' cheap in construction, easy to` assemble, and which shall be efficient in elastically supporting the upper spindley bearing and preventing anyv binding or injury to the bowl? or the spindle while in operation.

To the attainment of these ends and the accomplishment of" certain other new' and useful: objects whichl will appear, the' invention consists in' the` features of novelty hereinafter described in detail, shown inthe accompanying` 'drawings' forming a part of this specification, and n'ally.l pointed out more specifically in. the appendedclaims!y Inl the said drawings`,-Figure1c is; a view inA sidel elevation off the' preferred forni` of the elastic bearing, the supporting; cup for containing the bearing and supporting it in relation to the mainframe of the machine beingv shown in= vertical' section; Fig i'i's'a l horizontal section through'tliedevicetalien on thev linev 2, 2f of: 1,. looking in the direction indicated by;A the arrows:y Fig; y3 is detail plan view" ofthe elastic bearing support or spring, as stampedJI from' a flat sheet of metal before-being givenrthe cylindrical form' necessary to surroundthe`r bearing.y Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectionaf view offthefspring similar to theview ofI the same shown in Fig. 2, with parts other'than the spring omitt'ed j The reference' character* 10 indicates a common form' of cupv or 'supporti'. for an elastic gearing, Vthe same being' formed with an outwardly extending peripheral flange around thev top thereof,y indcatedbyll',

and provided with an interior channel or groove at the bottom thereof as at b for catching lubricant from the bearing and directing the same through the outlet or tube 11 to gears or other mechanism below.

19. is a foot secured to the bottom of the cupi adapted to position the same in relation to the main frame.

The bearing block is indicated by the reference character' 13 and as usually arranged is' of' any desired and suitable frictional material for supporting the bowl spindle, usually at apoint near its upper extremity where' it joins with the bowl, being provided around the top with a laterally extending peripheral flange 13'LL adapted to rest upon the top of the peripheral flange 10a of the cup which supports it in relation to the main frame. The bearingblock 13 is formed with a central vertically extending opening adapted to receive and support the bowl spindle, and has preferably on its interior surface a suitable groove as indicated at 13b to retain and distribute lubricant. The' bottoml of the bearing block 13 is preferably formed witha peripheral flange as indicated at 13, which has its greatest diameter greater than the common diameter of the bearing for the purpose of retaining the elastic member or spring when placed in position around the bearing block between this" lower fiangeV 13cv and the upper flange 13a.'

In order to enable the spring to be readily placed in position around the bearing block 13, the bottom` flange 13' preferably has its walls given a conical shape converging downwardly as` shown in Fig. 1. For the purpose of elastically' positioning the bearingblock 13 in relation to the supporting cup 1 0 and the frame of the machine, the elastic/spring. member 14 provided with the integrally formed tangential spring fingers 14a is placed in position surrounding the bearing block and between the' same and the interior wallE of the cup, thev preferred formy of this el'astic member being illustratedfmostzclearly'lin Figs; 3 and'4, it being preferably formed from a. single sheet of suitable spring metal. and consists essentially of upper and lower circumferential bands as' indicated at 14h, joined at intervals by the vertical cross connections 14 carrying the integral spring fingers 14 which"projectA from each'side thereof horizontally and tangentially from the outer periphery of the spring when formed in a coil to surround the bearing block 13- The extreme outer ends of the fingers lt1 are preferably given a slight inclination or bend in order that they may contact for a certain portion of their length near their outer extremities with the interior wall of the cup 10 when the bearing is in position within the cup, as shown in Figs-2 and 4a' Vhen the elastic member isformed as illustrated in Figs. l and 4 inclusive, and the spring is given the desired cylindrical form or coil, it willy be seen that the top and bottom connecting bands 14h will closely vencircle the periphery of the bearing block 13, while the deflected ends of the fingers 14a-will bear against the interior walls of the cup l0. These fingers may be formed outwardly at any desired angle vin order to insure that they shall be under any desired tension and the elasticity of the bearingv of the invention illustrated in the drawings, the elastic fingers are all shown spaced apart from leach other and from the connecting bands joining the longitudinally .extending pieces, and that these elastic fingers are all formed with a widened base where they join the body piece of the metal f from which they are formed. This is an important feature of the'invention, as the fingersare thus strengthened at their weakest point. l

In order that. the invention might be understood the details, of the preferred embodiment thereof have been thus specifically described, but it will be apparent that there may be further modifications of the invention without departing from the purpose and scope of the invention, and itis not desired to be limited to the exact forms herein shown.

I claim: t

k1. In an elastic bearing for centrifugal machines, the combination with a stationary support, of' a movable bearing block adapted to encircle and support a rotatable spindle, and an elastic member.

interposed between said bearing block and the said stationary support, said elastic member comprising a plurality of connecting pieces extending longitudinally of the axis of the bearing, being joined together by an integral connecting band and having a plurality of integral .fingers formed thereon, and extending in opposite directions from each side thereof approximately at right angles thereto.

2. In an velastic bearing for centrifugal machines, the combination with a stationary support, of a movable bearing rotatable spindle, and an elastic member interposed between' said bearing blocky and the said stationary support', vsaid elastic member comprising a plurality of connecting pieces extending longitudinally of the axis of the bearing, being oined together by integral connecting bands and having a pluralityv of integral fingers formed thereon and extending in opposite directions from each side thereof approximatelyat right angles thereto, said fingers being deflected for a portion of their length out of the plane of said connecting bands and said longitudinally connecting pieces.

3. In an elastic bearing for centrifugal machines, the combination with a stationaryy support, of a movable bearing block adapted to encircle and support a rotatable spindle, and an elastic memberv interposed between said bearing block and the saidl stationary support, said elastic member comprising a plurality of connectina` pieces extending longitudinally of the axis of the bearing, being joined together by integral connecting bands and having a plurality of integral fingers formed thereon and extending in opposite directions from each side thereof approximately at l,right angles thereto, and being deflected for a portion of their length intermediate their extremities out of the plane of the said connecting vband and said longitudinallv extending connecting pieces, .the outer extremi- Vblock adapted to .encircle and support al ties of said fingers remote from their points a of securement to the said longitudinally extending connecting pieces being deflected to lie in a plane parallel to said connecting pieces and said band.

4. In an elastic bearing for lcentrifugal machines, the combination with -a stationary support, of a movable bearing block adapted to encircle and -support a rotatable spindle, and an elastic lmember interposed between Ithe said bearing block and the said stationary support, said elastic member .comprising a plurality of connecting pieces extending longitudinallv of the axis of the bearing, being joined together by an integral connecting band and having a plurality of integral fingers formed thereon, said fingers being spaced apart from each other and from said connecting band with open spaces therebetween and between said fingers and said connecting band, and extending approximately at right angles to said` longitudinally extending `connecting pieces, said fingers being formed with portions at their bases Where thev are joined to the said longitudinally extending connecting pieces, of an increased Width over the body portions of the fingers.

5. In an elastic bearing for centrifugal machines, the combination With a stationary support, of a movable bearing block adapted to encircle and support a rotatable spindle, and an elastic member interposed between said bearing block and the said stationary support, said elastic member comprising a plurality of connecting pieces extending longitudinally of the axis of the bearing, being joined together by an integral connecting band and having a plurality of integral fingers formed thereon, and extending in opposite directions from each side thereof at an angle thereto.

6. In an elastic bearing for centrifugal machines, the combination with a stationary support, of a movable bearing block adapted to encircle and support a rotatable spindle, and an elastic member interposed between said bearing block and the said stationary support, said elastic member comprising a plurality of connecting pieces extending longitudinally of the axis of the bearing, being joined together by integral connecting bands and having a pluralitv of integral fingers formed thereon and extending in opposite directions from each side thereof at an angle thereto, said fingers being deflected for a portion of their '7. In an elastic bearing for centrifugal` machines, the combination With a stationary support, of a movable bearing block adapted to encircle and support a rotatable spindle, and an elastic member interposed between said bearing block and the said stationary support, said elastic member comprising a plurality of connecting` pieces extending longitudinally of the axis of the bearing, being joined together bv integral connecting bands and having a plurality of integral lingers formed thereon, and extending in opposite directions from each side thereof at an angle thereto, and being deflected for a portion of their length intermediate their extremities out of the plane of the said connecting band and said longitudinally extending connecting pieces, the outer extremities of said ngers remote from their points of securement to the said longitudinally extending connecting pieces being deflected to lie in a plane parallel to said connecting pieces and said band.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of tWo subscribing Witnesses, on this 1st day of March, A. D. 1911.

GORDON F. FOVVLER.

Witnesses:

CHARLES H. SEEM, A. L. SPRINKLE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for v'e cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

